To no one’s great surprise, this year’s Dmexco – Europe’s biggest advertising and marketing show – will be entirely digital.

The online event, dubbed ‘Dmexco @home’, will feature livestreams, masterclasses, and deep dives with a range of speakers from across the industry. The dedicated digital platform will also take a different approach to networking with participants able to communicate directly with one another in audio and video rooms, or via text chat.

For exhibitors, there will be a way to introduce themselves to ‘attendees’ and show off their products in what’s being called the ‘Brand Showfloor’, where business can be conducted between the exhibitors and their virtual ‘visitors’.

“It was very difficult for us to cancel the physical version of DMEXCO… Working together as Koelnmesse, we rose to the challenge and developed a concept that was efficient, creative and, above all, coronavirus-compliant. This approach earned the respect of the market, too, for which I would like to express my gratitude,” said Christoph Werner, Senior Vice President of Koelnmesse, the exhibition centre responsible for Dmexco.

“Our focus on a digital DMEXCO comes in response to our customers’ wishes this year, and we look forward to hosting a hybrid edition of DMEXCO in 2021. We are pleased that we can count on the full support of the German Association for the Digital Economy [BVDW] for this decision, and that we will be able to welcome our community together again in September – this time in digital form.”

Dmexco @home will take place on 23 and 24 September 2020. Tickets will be available for purchase online from mid-July, costing 79 euros for the early bird version and 99 euros for the regular ticket.

“Right from the outset, Dmexco @home was designed not as a supplement, but as a stand-alone platform. That is why we expect the digital edition of Dmexco to offer the same high quality of exhibitors, visitors and contacts as a physical Dmexco,” said Dominik Matyka, Chief Advisor for Dmexco. “We are aware of the industry’s urgent need to engage in networking and business, particularly now, and we have the right answer to this. On September 23 and 24, Dmexco @home will provide the digital economy an opportunity to hit the restart button together.”